Charlotte’s Web
Presented by Nashville Children’s Theatre
Through Dec. 15 and Jan. 13-24 at NCT’s Hill Theatre
724 2nd Ave. S.
For tickets, call 254-9103
Elwyn Brooks White (1899-1985), known simply as “E.B.” to the reading public, is a singular figure in American letters. An early staff member of The New Yorker—he wrote the original “Talk of the Town”—White was a witty satirist of modern life. He also composed light verse, collaborated with the humorist James Thurber, and was a fine editor whose revision of William Strunk Jr.’s The Elements of Style in 1959 became a classic usage handbook. But maybe what will secure White’s literary legacy even more are his stories for children, foremost among them Charlotte’s Web. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the book is currently being performed in a stage version at Nashville Children’s Theatre.
Joseph Robinette’s adaptation is functional enough. Those who don’t really know this tale may be amazed to learn that, for a modern children’s classic, Charlotte’s Web is fairly grim stuff. Thankfully, it’s leavened by wit and charm and lovable characters, and it leaves the audience on a note of hopefulness.
Inspired by life on his own Maine farm, White crafted this yarn about a runty pig whose life is spared when young farmer’s daughter Fern Arable steps in before her father can put the animal out of its supposed misery. Fern names the pig Wilbur and cares for him, but eventually he is sold off to the Zuckerman Farm, where he finds a new home in the barn cellar. There, besides sharing his surroundings with various geese and sheep, he makes friends with a wonderfully wise and kind spider named Charlotte. Alas, Wilbur then learns through the barnyard animals’ grapevine that his days are numbered because once he has fattened up enough, he’ll be “turned into smoked bacon and ham” by his new owners. It’s a pretty ominous pronouncement, especially since we’ve grown rather fond of Wilbur by this time.
Charlotte comes to the rescue by spinning simple messages, such as “Some Pig,” in her web, all of them geared to convince Wilbur’s owners that he is no ordinary porcine bit of slaughterhouse fodder. The spider’s strategy works, and the story winds to its conclusion, albeit one appropriate to its bittersweet temperament.
The NCT production, under the direction of René Copeland, is generally on target. Brandon Boyd is a likable Wilbur, and he mixes a few moments of fun physical humor into his performance. The rest of the cast doubles and triples up on roles, playing farmers, parents and animals. Everybody—Rona Carter, Jenny Littleton, Buddy Raper, Joe Keenan and Tony Morton—acquits themselves well, though Keenan appears to draw the most laughter out of his lines. Carter makes for a rather statuesque Charlotte—certainly taller than your average spider—but her reading is warm, sincere and affecting.
Copeland also designed the versatile set, with Charlotte’s verbal web magic handled well in a series of clever quick-changes. Similarly, Patricia Taber’s costumes strive to serve the actors’ sudden transformations into different characters; they are flexibly useful if nothing else. As regards the sound design, one musical choice was bothersome: At key moments in the play, we hear the recognizable strains of the moving “Ashokan Farewell,” the predominant guitar-fiddle theme of Ken Burns’ PBS documentary The Civil War. It seems both unnecessary and out of place to use a piece of music that—poignant though it may be—is so definitively identified with what has become a cultural landmark.
In the midst of its animal-centric overplot, Charlotte’s Web manages to convey some serious human messages about friendship, loyalty and, not least of all, the cycle of life. The NCT production is certainly a satisfactory one and is well recommended for Nashville family audiences (although parents might encounter some dicey questions from the kids the next time bacon is served at breakfast).
Charlotte’s Web runs through this weekend. Theatergoers who can’t catch the play before year’s end are reminded that it will be mounted again in January.
